Hollow
by kate657
Summary: She always wore a suit of armour to protect herself from pain and vulnerability but he broke through it. She wants him back but is she willing to make the same mistake twice? Leyton. Slightly AU.
1. Torn No Longer

**No, you're not seeing things. I'm actually writing a story that does not have Naley as the main couple. This is Leyton which is my second favourite couple. Leave some words and enjoy.** _:D Katy_

**Summary: **She always wore a suit of armour to protect herself from pain and vulnerability. He managed to break through her walls, opening her up to the possibility of love and at the last second, she changed her mind and he found someone else. Now she wants him back but is she willing to make the same mistake twice?

**Hollow**

**Chapter One**

**Torn No Longer **

She stood there, in that hallway, paralyzed with fear as she watched the young couple kissing heatedly against the lockers a little ways away from her. She felt a pang in her heart as the girl ran her fingers through the guy's hair.

_You can't do it_, a little voice told her. The voice sounded wise and ridiculing at the same time. It was as if it was warning her not to do what she had convinced herself to do not three hours ago and mocking her, hacking her confidence into smithereens.

_And why not? _Another voice asked. _You have as much right to be happy as the next person_. This voice sounded arrogant and sure of itself; a feeling she was desperate for.

_Because it's not fair to him_, the wise one replied.

_Fairness is irrelevant in matters of the heart_, the other voice reminded the wise voice.

_What about her?_ The wise one asked. She looked down at the floor to hide the look of guilt that was surely all over her face. She ignored the warring voices inside her head as she approached the couple and her locker. She began turning the combination of her lock and it popped open.

"Hey!" Lucas exclaimed. She turned to look at him. His face was radiant as he beamed excitedly at her.

"Hey," she returned with a shy smile which couldn't be weirder for her. She was a lot of things; sarcastic, dark, moody, even a little angry sometimes but she was never shy. It was a foreign feeling to her and for some reason he was the only one that could make her feel that way.

"We're going to surprise Nathan and Haley and meet them at their apartment with a 'Welcome Back' party when they get back from London. You interested?" Lucas said. Her instincts were screaming at her to say yes. Any amount of time she could spend with Lucas was time well spent in her books and as she opened her mouth, she caught Brooke glaring at her. She was actually seething.

"Uh, no," Peyton replied. Lucas' face fell.

"Why not?" he asked.

"They're coming back from their honeymoon which means they're going to be all mushy," she said. Lucas rolled his eyes.

"And you want to avoid that after what happened in Savannah, right?" Brooke asked, slightly widening her eyes for emphasis. Peyton pursed her lips. Lucas' face went white and he looked at her apologetically.

"I completely forgot. I'm so sorry, Pey," he said.

"Its fine," Peyton said and smiled at him reassuringly.

"That's too bad," Brooke said sarcastically as she pulled away from Lucas and began fidgeting with her Lucas. "But we really need to get to class."

"I'll miss you," he said as he turned around and started to walk away. Brooke came closer to Peyton and glared at her.

"Let's get one thing straight, Peyton. You near Lucas is absolutely forbidden. If he talks to you, ignore him, or smile in that surly way that you do to let him know that you're not interested in hearing what he has to say… I really don't care how you do it. Just stay away from him," Brooke said. Peyton smiled that "surly" smile of hers before she turned and walked down the opposite hallway to her art class.

_What _about_ her?_ The confident voice asked and her smile widened.


	2. Honesty is the Best Policy

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**Chapter Two**

**Honesty is the Best Policy**

_A week later…_

"Peyton, are you okay?" Haley Scott asked her friend as they sat in her and Nathan's apartment, eating. Peyton looked up at her in confusion.

"Of course," she replied quickly. Haley squinted at her. "What?"

"You're hiding something," Haley said. Peyton's eyes went wide- it was as if Haley had just uncovered her darkest secret and at this, Haley smiled. "Spill."

"I can't tell you," Peyton said.

"You're not doing drugs again, are you?" Haley asked carefully.

"God, no, it's nothing like that!" Peyton exclaimed.

"Then what is it?" Haley asked.

"I can't tell you," Peyton repeated.

"I'm your friend. You can tell me anything," Haley reminded her.

"Not this," Peyton said.

"Why not?" Haley asked.

"Because of your friendship with _her_," Peyton said.

"Her who?" Haley asked.

"Brooke," Peyton replied. Haley looked at her in disbelief.

"You mean-" Haley started. She was going to ask if Peyton was going to start fighting fire with fire when it came to her and Brooke no longer being friends. Then she looked at Peyton and smiled knowingly. "Oh my God."

"What?" Peyton asked.

"You've finally admitted it to yourself, haven't you?" Haley asked.

"Admitted what?" Peyton asked.

"Admitted that you're still in love with Luke," Haley replied in a hush whisper. Peyton smiled.

"Hales, Brooke's not here and she already knows. Why are you whispering?" she asked.

"Because Nathan is here and he might tell Luke," Haley replied. Peyton looked around for signs of Nathan being awake. The door to the bedroom was still closed and she could hear a faint snore telling her that Nathan was still asleep. "Or does Luke already know too?"

"No, he doesn't," Peyton replied. Haley looked at her. "What?"

"Why haven't you told him?" she asked. Peyton remained silent. Haley searched her face. "You are going to tell him, right?"

"I guess," Peyton replied.

"You guess?" Haley asked.

"Well, last week I was going to but… now I'm not so sure," she said.

"Why?" Haley asked.

"Because he's in love with Brooke," Peyton replied. Haley snorted. "What?"

"Nothing," Haley said.

"Haley," Peyton said. Haley met her gaze. "What's going on?"

"You know very well that I've never thought of Brooke and Lucas as an epic romance," Haley said.

"Yeah. And?" Peyton asked.

"And my opinion hasn't changed. They are attracted to each other. Certainly. But in love with each other?" Haley said. Peyton looked at her in hope. Haley made a face and shook her head.

"They're not in love?" Peyton asked.

"They might think they are but I don't," Haley said.

"Neither do I," Peyton said.

"I bet you do," Haley teased. Peyton rolled her eyes.

"I admit that I don't have a selfish reason for thinking so but there's another reason," Peyton said.

"And that is?" Haley asked.

"Their relationship is strictly superficial. They say 'I love you' at the drop of a coin. It's as if it's a nickname they use for one another," Peyton said.

"Plus they don't have that whole 'tortured artist and tortured athlete' charm working for them like you and Lucas did," Haley teased. Peyton replied with a glare.

"They don't have the spark that Luke and I had," Peyton said. Haley nodded.

"So maybe you should tell him how you feel then," she said with a wide grin. Peyton shrugged.

"What's the worst that could happen?" she asked.

"He could turn you down and tell you to go to hell," Haley replied.

"Gee, thanks. Are you trying to make me lose my nerve?" Peyton asked.

"No. I was just answering your question. That's the worst that could happen but at least you'd have been honest with him and yourself," Haley said. Peyton smiled.

"Honesty," she muttered.

"It's the best policy," Haley said and they both cracked up.


	3. You Get Me

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Chapter Three**

**You Get Me**

"Peyton, can I talk to you?" Lucas asked, pulling Peyton into the library and leading her to a deserted aisle.

"I guess," she replied when he let go of her arm and leaned against the shelf. She looked around and realized they were in the same aisle they had made out in right before accident. She lifted her gaze and met his eyes for the first time and she could tell that he was struggling with something.

"I want to know what's going on," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly. He widened his eyes pointedly.

"I've been asked- no, warned- by Brooke to stay away from you and I would like to know why. I'm hoping that you'll tell me because she will not," he said. Peyton looked around the aisle nervously, suddenly wishing she could crawl into a hole and hide from his questioning gaze.

"Peyton." She lifted her head and looked at him once again. He was pleading with her.

"Brooke and I aren't friends anymore. I was honest with her about my feelings and she didn't like it," Peyton replied.

"What feelings?" Lucas asked, looking even more confused. "And what do they have to do with me?" Her cheeks reddened and she looked away. When she looked back at him, there was a somewhat hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"My feelings towards you," she admitted.

"Feelings towards me?" he repeated.

"Have resurfaced," she finished. He looked completely shocked. She couldn't really tell whether the shock was good or bad.

"Why?" he asked.

"What?" Peyton asked.

"I thought you were in love with Jake, not me," he said.

"I do love Jake," Peyton said. Lucas looked at her in confusion. "Or I used to."

"But we were together for an entire summer and all you talked about was him," Luke reminded her.

"Back then, I wanted to be in love with Jake. It was easier to be with him. It was safe but my feelings for you were there right beneath the surface. I pushed them down and locked them in a vault because I didn't want to cause trouble again," she replied.

"And now?" he asked.

"Now, I don't want to lock them up anymore," she said. He looked at her cautiously. She walked over to him and put her hand on his cheek. "I know that I have bad timing because of Brooke. I know that I hurt Jake. I know that I let you down before but I won't this time. I want all the things you told me you wanted last year and I want them with you."

"Peyton, I love Brooke," he told her. She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry but you're too late."

"You care about Brooke, Luke, but you don't love her. Your relationship is based on nothing," Peyton said.

"You know what Brooke and I have been through together. How can you say that?" he asked.

"It's about time someone said it," she said simply.

"Brooke and I love each other," Lucas insisted. Peyton smiled sadly at him.

"You and Brooke have fun together. Brooke knows how to make you laugh and how to please you if you know what I mean but she doesn't know you. She doesn't get you like I do," Peyton said gently. She leaned up and brushed a kiss across his cheek. "Just like you get me."

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	4. Make Up Your Mind

_**Nikki** and **BRUCAS4EVER**: Yes, this is a Lucas and Peyton story and it will stay that way.I'm not a fan of Brooke and Lucas.I never have been. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond to my story but if you're not a fan of Lucas and Peyton then I don't think you're going to enjoy it very much. __

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_

Thanks to **Tears of Mercury**, **iftheyonlyknewthetruth**, **suki1916**, **Cayster**, **lplovers1913**, **belle1220**, **xleytonloverx**, **Joise** and **LeytonFanAlways** for replying. Leave some words and enjoy.

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**Chapter Four **

**Make Up Your Mind**

"Hales," Lucas called through his best friend slash sister-in-law and brother's apartment door. The door opened slightly and his brother glared at him.

"What do you want?" Nathan growled, still not opening the door to let him in the apartment.

"I need to talk to Haley," he replied slowly.

"Well, she's not here," Nathan informed him. Lucas nodded in disappointment and then he looked at his brother's angry face.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. Nathan looked at him with a blank stare. "You and Haley aren't fighting, right?"

"It's kind of hard to fight with her when she's not here," his brother pointed out mockingly. Judging by the smirk on Nathan's face as he spoke, Lucas gathered that things were fine between Haley and Nathan.

"Then what is wrong?" Lucas asked.

"I was sleeping," Nathan replied. Lucas' eyes widened slightly.

"That's it?" he asked. Nathan's eyes narrowed at the incredulity in Lucas' voice.

"I just got back from a dinner with my family; my dad and grandfather were both there," Nathan added.

"Oh," Lucas said in understanding. The two brothers stared at each other for a minute and then Nathan cleared his throat. "Where is Haley?"

"At Peyton's," Nathan replied. At the mention of her name, Lucas' face changed. Nathan noticed and he widened his eyes at his brother questioningly. "Did I hit a nerve or something?"

"No," Lucas replied quickly.

"Are you sure because you look uneasy all of a sudden?" Nathan asked, studying his face.

Lucas scoffed. "You couldn't tell that your own mother had a drug problem for months- probably _years_- but you notice that I'm uneasy at the mention of someone's name? Since when did you become so observant?"

"Wow. Whatever happened with Peyton must've been huge if it has you this wound up," Nathan commented and then started laughing when Lucas glared at him.

"Nothing happened with Peyton," Lucas insisted.

"Right," Nathan said doubtfully.

"I swear," Lucas said.

"So then why do you need to talk to Haley?" Nathan asked. Lucas stiffened. "I knew it."

"What did you know?" Haley asked as she and Peyton came up to them. The brothers went silent.

Nathan eyed Lucas as he spoke to Haley. "You're home early. Hey, Peyton."

"Hey, Nate. Yeah, she is home early. I would have kept her longer but my dad came home with his new girlfriend," Peyton replied with a humourous tone of voice.

"And since it's weird slash gross seeing old people making out in the kitchen when they think we aren't around, we decided to leave," Haley finished, as they all walked into the apartment together.

Haley dropped her keys onto a small dish on the counter of the kitchen and took off her coat. Nathan took her coat and hung it up for her. When he returned, Haley smiled and kissed him in thanks. Lucas smiled at their happiness and then sat down on the couch in the living room. Peyton remained standing in between the kitchen and living room, debating whether she should sit down in one of the stools at the counter or take a risk and sit down beside Lucas. But then something occurred to her as she recalled what Haley had said.

She turned to her and said, "Excuse me but my dad is not _that_ old." Haley giggled as Nathan whispered something in her ear and then looked back at Peyton.

"I apologize. It is gross seeing _older_ people making out," Haley corrected herself.

"That's not much better," Peyton remarked.

"Well, that's too bad because I stand by it," Haley said. She dragged Nathan into the living room and they sat down together on the couch. Peyton's gaze darted between the chair and the other couch where Lucas was sitting. She looked at Haley who flashed a knowing smile and then subtly glanced at the spot next to Lucas on the couch. Peyton smiled back and sat down beside Lucas.

"Didn't you have plans with Brooke today, Luke?" Haley asked.

"I did until she cancelled at the last minute, saying she had to work," he replied. Haley nodded. "She's been acting very weird these past few days."

"Maybe she's having doubts again," Peyton suggested. He turned to her. His eyes were on fire as he glared at her warningly.

"She has nothing to doubt," he informed her.

"That's never stopped her before," Peyton replied with a knowing smile. "Brooke's always been the type of person that second-guesses everything. I know you think she's very self-confident but she's actually one of the most insecure people I know and it's very sad that she has no faith in the people that love her." Haley's eyes widened in surprise at her cool tone.

She was attempting to point out that Brooke was doubting Lucas' feelings for her to show that Lucas and Brooke's relationship was very unhealthy but she managed to say it in a very eloquent way and if Haley wasn't absolutely positive that Peyton still had feelings for Lucas and hated Brooke now, she would have believed that she was being sincere.

"Interesting idea but I don't thinks that's it," Lucas said. Peyton shrugged carelessly.

"Maybe she's hiding something from you," she suggested. Lucas looked at her in outrage.

"Will you cut it out?" he exclaimed. Peyton's eyes widened in surprise.

"Cut what out?" she asked innocently.

"I know what you're trying to do so drop the act," Lucas ordered.

"What am I trying to do?" Peyton shot back.

"You're trying to make Brooke look bad in my eyes because you're jealous of her. I already told you that it's too late for us and making me doubt her is not going to change my mind," Lucas said. Peyton looked at him for a minute before she started laughing.

"First of all, I don't have to _try_ to make her look bad. She does a pretty good job all on her own. And second, I am not saying this because I'm jealous of her, you or your relationship- which I'm _not_- I'm saying it because it's true; she has always doubted your feelings for her even before you and I stepped out on her last year," Peyton replied.

"That's not true," Lucas insisted.

"Yeah, it is," Haley announced. Lucas turned to her in shock. "I'm sorry, Luke, but she's right. Do you remember when she was afraid that you wouldn't like her because you two didn't have anything in common?" Lucas nodded.

"That's right," Peyton recalled. "She came to me for help. That's when I gave her that CD and pointed out two songs that reminded me of you only I told her to say they made her think of you." Lucas stared at her in disbelief as he recalled Brooke sitting down next to him at a table outside one day and pointed out two songs on a CD of a band that he liked.

"That was you?" he asked. Peyton nodded.

"Yes," she replied.

"Why would you do something like that?" he asked. Peyton shook her head at him.

"You honestly don't know?" she asked him. He shook his head. Peyton smiled at his ignorance. "Because I cared about you and I cared about her. I wanted to help despite the way I felt for you. See, if I were as vindictive as you think, I would've set her up but I didn't because more than anything, I wanted you to be happy even if it was with her."

"I…" Lucas started to respond but she cut him off.

"But I don't feel that way anymore," Peyton said.

"You don't?" he asked.

"No, because I don't think Brooke can make you happy," she replied. Then she smiled to herself and added, "Not like I can."

"Peyton," Lucas began sadly but she covered his mouth with her hand.

"You don't have to decide anything right now, Lucas. I understand that it's not easy to make a decision like this especially since I know that you do care about Brooke and even she deserves to be told before we do anything," Peyton said.

"I don't know if that's what I want," Lucas admitted. Peyton nodded. "I need time."

"I understand that but don't take too long to make up your mind," she said. He studied her face and noticed the determined look in her eyes. "Because I won't wait for you forever, Luke."


	5. May The Best Woman Win

_Thanks to **OxVERONiCAxO**, **lukeNpeyt**, **greygooseLP**, **xleytongloverx**, **luke-n-peyton**, **dogtowndc **and **luvtheOC09** for replying. Leave some words and enjoy._

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**Chapter Five**

**May The Best Woman Win**

"You miserable bitch," a low, smoky voice accused. Peyton lifted her head off of her pillow and was not surprised to see the expertly-coiffed Brooke in her doorway.

"You know, when we were friends, I didn't argue when you barged into my house and walked into my room with absolutely no regard for my privacy," Peyton said as she eased her head back down on the softness that was her pillow. "But now you're breaking and entering."

"At least I'm not a boyfriend thief," Brooke said, walking further into her room.

Peyton laughed. "Last I looked, that _wasn't_ a crime."

"No, but it is pretty pathetic that you have to try take your friend's boyfriend rather than going out and finding your own," Brooke retorted.

"Then you must feel ashamed whenever you look at Luke," Peyton said.

Brooke scoffed. "He is _my_ boyfriend."

"For now," Peyton said.

"Now and forever," Brooke corrected.

Peyton sat up and leaned against her headboard. She raised an eyebrow at Brooke. "Do you honestly believe that Luke is going to put up with you _forever_?"

"He will if he loves me," Brooke said.

"Love fades but your flair for drama will never go away and that is what he's going to get sick of," Peyton said.

"I have a flair for drama?" Brooke repeated incredulously. Peyton nodded. "Hey pot, you're black."

Peyton's eyebrows came together. "Huh?"

"You have had more drama in the past two years than I have had in my entire life," Brooke said.

"What are you talking about?" Peyton asked.

"Let's see. Should I go all the way to the beginning and point out your relationship with Nathan and then your break up? Or tiptoe past that and remind you of the anniversary of your mother's death when you freaked out at practice and ran every red light you encountered?"

"Shut up."

"Maybe I should fast forward to your indecision about Lucas. One minute you want him and the next, you couldn't be bothered. And of course there's the whole Jake fiasco," Brooke said as she smiled at Peyton's fury-filled glare.

"You're such a bitch," Peyton informed her.

Brooke's eyebrows shot up. "How sweet." She turned to look behind her and when she looked back at Peyton, her mouth curved into a snarl. "And you wonder why people always leave."

"Did you have something that you wanted to confront me with or did you just come here for a fight?" Peyton asked.

Brooke remained silent and Peyton got up and walked a few steps toward her.

"Because if it's a fight you want, you're going to need one helluva plastic surgeon when I'm done with you," Peyton said.

"On speed dial, but I didn't come here for a fight," Brooke said.

"Start speaking fast," Peyton ordered.

"Lucas told me everything," Brooke announced as she shifted uncomfortably.

"Aha! What's the matter, Brooke?" Peyton asked. Brooke raised her chin and stuck her nose in the air. It was her you're-not-good-enough-for-my-attention look. "You nervous?"

"What do I have to be nervous about?" Brooke asked.

"If Luke told you _everything_, then you know he's deciding which one of us he really wants," Peyton said.

"He did," Brooke said.

"And you're here to warn me not to get my hopes up?" Peyton asked.

"I'm here to tell you t-that you have nothing to be hopeful about. Lucas loves me. He will- he'll choose me," Brooke said.

"Interesting," Peyton remarked. Brooke looked at her in confusion. "You know, I might actually have something to be worried about if you had said that without stuttering."

"If I'm worried about anything, it's that you might hurt yourself when Lucas chooses me _again_," Brooke said.

"I'll be fine but your concern for my well-being is deeply moving," Peyton said with feeling. It was sarcasm but she felt she deserved points for even saying it.

"I'm going to go," Brooke said.

"So soon?" Peyton inquired mockingly.

Brooke rolled her eyes on the way out the door. When she was sure she was gone, Peyton let out a sigh of relief. She had managed to make it through round two unscathed. She just hoped her heart could make it if Lucas actually did pick Brooke.

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	6. Yes or No

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****Chapter Six**

**Yes or No**

Peyton walked into her bedroom and nearly dropped her bags at the sight of Lucas sitting on her bed. "Luke?"

Luke slowly turned his head around and smiled when he saw her. "You really should start locking that door," he told her.

Peyton chuckled as she came further into the room and dumped her school bag on her desk chair. "If I did that, my friends couldn't barge in and make themselves at home," she joked, raising her eyebrows at him.

His cheeks reddened.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, looking away so he wouldn't see the hope in her eyes.

"I needed to talk to you," he said.

Peyton nodded. "About your decision?" she inquired.

"I haven't made my mind up yet," he said, shaking his head miserably.

"Haven't you?"

He looked up at her in surprise. "What?"

"You haven't broken up with her," Peyton said.

"So?"

"And it seems like you're not going to so maybe your mind is made up," Peyton explained.

"If I break up with Brooke and then end up choosing her, she'd never take me back," Luke said.

"Thank God for small favours," Peyton quipped.

"That's uncalled for," Luke said.

Her eyes narrowed. "I should have known you wouldn't leave her," she spat and started to leave her own bedroom in anger.

Lucas went after her. "I will leave her if I choose you," he promised.

"Gee, I feel reassured _now_," she said sarcastically.

He grabbed her hand to keep her from leaving. "It's not an easy decision to make," he reminded her.

"It's actually very simple, Luke, if you make your decision from your heart not your guilt," Peyton shot back.

"I love Brooke," he pointed out.

"Yes, I know. The two of you have a habit of pointing that out every ten seconds," Peyton said.

"Because it's how we feel," Lucas said.

"I've heard but I _need_ to know how you feel about me," Peyton said.

"I can't answer that," he said.

Peyton pulled her hand out of his and scoffed, "Then you don't deserve me."

"Peyton, come on," he pleaded.

Peyton didn't show any mercy. "Do you love me or not?"

"I…" he stuttered. "I don't know."

"Yeah you do or you never would have decided to choose in the first place," she said. He swallowed hard. "It's not a trick question. I won't be mad at you as long as you answer honestly."

"And what if my answer isn't in your favour?" he asked.

"I'll be hurt but I won't hurt _you_," she promised, knowing that he was asking if she would pull a Brooke and slap him senseless which was what her ex-best friend would most likely do. "Now enough stalling. Do you love me? Yes or no?"

He looked away from her for a minute to gather his strength but Peyton took it as a sign of rejection. She nodded sadly in understanding and started to walk away from him.

She got two feet before his hand grabbed hers then whirled her around and captured her mouth with his in a soaring kiss.

She was breathless when he finally released her. "I'm glad we've got that settled then," she remarked but then looked at him expectantly, needing to hear him say the words.

"Yes," he finally said. Her mouth curled into a small smile. "You keep people at arms' length, you live in your own world most of the time, you drive me crazy more than half the time and I love you."

She beamed as she pulled him to her for another kiss. "I might drive you crazy but I do it with a certain finesse that keeps you coming back for more," she mumbled against his lips.

He chuckled, deepened the kiss and Peyton cease to think.

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	7. More Than Anyone

_Thanks to **speechlesstaylor**, **angeldylan628**, **chocolatexpresso**,** x.kaytee.x**, **Joise**, **IHeartOTH05** and **broodyleytons **for replying. This is the final chapter. Leave some words and enjoy. **Katy**_**

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**Chapter Seven**

**More Than Anyone**

"Brooke, I need to talk to you," Lucas said as he came up to the cheerleaders during their practice in the gymnasium one Friday afternoon.

Brooke turned and flashed him her best saccharine smile. "I'm busy right now, Broody, but after practice, I'm all yours."

"It can't wait that long," he said, his gaze moving to Peyton for a second.

Her former friend's smile dropped instantly and she two turned to look at Peyton. Her eyes were on fire as she nodded. "All right. Girls, I'll be right back."

She walked a few steps away from the squad, purposely bashing into Lucas roughly on her way, whom broke free from his reverie at the contact.

"What is so important that you had to interrupt cheer practice for?" Brooke demanded, her nostrils flaring angrily at him.

"I've made my choice," he announced.

Brooke's head shot up at the news. "You made the right choice," she said, a triumphant smile tugging at her lips as she came closer to him. She grabbed his arm and placed it around her waist. "Peyton will be hurt but she'll get over it eventually."

As she leaned in to kiss him, Lucas realized what she was thinking and pulled away from her, carefully removing her hand from around his neck. "No," he said, shaking his head for emphasis.

The smile was replaced with a confused frown. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

He started to answer but she shrugged at him.

"There's no shame in showing affection. I know you don't want to hurt her but we are together and Peyton is going to have to live with it," Brooke explained, stepping closer to him again.

He put more distance between them. "I didn't choose you," he said.

She went rigid with anger. "What?"

"I chose Peyton because I realized that when all my dreams come true, she's the one I want standing next to me," he explained. He looked at Peyton again hungrily and then turned his attention back to a now furious Brooke. "Not you."

"You love me, don't you?" Brooke asked.

He nodded. "I'm _in_ love with Peyton."

"Then what the hell have we been doing for the past few months?" She screeched. The entire room went dead silent. The cheerleaders had turned off the music they were practicing. Every basketball dropped to the ground and rolled a few feet away from their carriers.

Lucas looked at everyone around them, silently wondering why they didn't form the crowd around them since they weren't even bothering to be discreet about their obvious interest in the fight he and Brooke were now engaged in.

He wished there were some eloquent words he could say to Brooke that would take all her pain and anger away or at least make her stop looking at him with daggers in her eyes. He never wanted to hurt her. He really did care about her. "I'm sorry," was all he could come up with and he couldn't have chosen a more idiot thing to say.

Her shoulders stiffened and she narrowed her eyes even more at him. "Well, I'm sorry too," she said.

His eyebrows came together in confusion. "What?"

"If I had known you were such an idiot, I wouldn't have wasted my time with you. For _that_, I'm sorry," Brooke snarled.

"I'm sorry that you're hurting," he said lamely.

She snickered. "I have dumped better guys than you so don't flatter yourself. I'll get over this."

"I…" he started to apologize again.

"Practice is over, girls," Brooke said over her shoulder, perfectly aware that her squad was hanging onto every word they were saying. "I'm off to find a rebound guy, preferably a model."

Then she was gone.

Peyton slowly made her way over to him, amused at the shock displayed all over his face.

"What the hell was that?" he asked her.

"That was Brooke," Peyton replied, looking off in the direction that the brunette had gone.

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked.

"It's a side of her you don't get to see very often," Peyton said.

"Huh?"

"She hasn't really been dumped that much. When she does get dumped, she likes to go out and find a guy that she can have sex with and then dump to make herself feel better," Peyton explained.

"She didn't the first time I dumped her," Lucas said.

"Yes, she did," Peyton nodded.

"I didn't expect her to take it so well," Lucas said.

"Neither did I but I suspect that the reason she took it so well is because she saw it coming," Peyton said.

"Maybe," Lucas said.

Peyton closed the distance between them and looped her arm around his neck. "So you chose me, huh?"

He started to answer but was silenced by her kiss. "Yes, I did," he said afterwards.

"Why?" Peyton asked, leaning back so she could study his face.

"Because I realized that you and I could be something really great," he said, pulling her closer against him.

"I told you so," she grinned.

He kissed her. "And because I love you."

"That's good," she said, standing on her tiptoes for a long kiss. "I love you too."

THE END

* * *


End file.
